Alan Curtis said that Swansea City needed to take at least a point from their trip to Arsenal, so walking away from the Emirates Stadium with all three was perfect.

However, it wasn't just the points Curtis was pleased with. He believes the performance itself was fantastic and that it has "set the standard" for how the squad should perform throughout the rest of this season. 

Confidence builder

Speaking to the media after the game, the Welshman said that the performance acted as a reminder to everyone (and Swansea themselves) that they are still a "good footballing team," despite their poor season. This is sure to be something that acts as a fantastic confidence builder heading into the final stretch of games. 

The South Wales outfit came from a goal down away from home against the title challengers, with strikes from Wayne Roultedge and Ashley Williams cancelling out Joel Campbell's opener in the 15th minute. 

Swansea made several changes for the game after back-to-back defeats had put them back under pressure in the fight for survival. This created a "chance for some players" to make a mark, and Curtis believes they "grabbed their opportunity" and have left the manager with a selection dilemma for future games, which can only be considered a positive.  

The result continued Swansea's excellent record against Arsenal in London, and Curtis attributes a lot of that to the fact that they're playing a team who play a similar style to themselves, which is the, "type of football [Swansea] play well against."

Alan Curtis stepped in for Francesco Guidolin on Wednesday, who was hospitalised due to illness. | Photo: Swansea City AFC
Alan Curtis stepped in for Francesco Guidolin on Wednesday, who was hospitalised due to illness. | Photo: Swansea City AFC

Looking ahead

Even with an impressive result against the Gunners creating some breathing room at the lower end of the table, Swansea can't afford to take their foot off the gas until the season finishes now, with every game being crucial. 

Curtis knows the club have, "three important games coming up," as they take on Aston Villa, Norwich City and Bournemouth. The coach admitted that these fixtures are likely to "define [their] season," but performances such as the one against Arsenal will make things very difficult for any of those sides. 

Swansea fans will likely be quietly confident heading into these next three fixtures that they can get the job done to guarantee their safety for next season, and if they keep up the standard from the Emirates, there's no reason why they shouldn't. 

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About the author
Matthew Wilkinson
Huddersfield University in Sports Journalism. Twitter- MC_Wilkinson1